“As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool.”
Jeremiah 17:11
Whenever a partridge gathers a brood that she did not hatch and sits on eggs that she has not laid, the chicks she gathered will eventually leave her, and the eggs she did not lay will not hatch. This is a reminder not to build our lives on deceitful practices.
There is no shortcut to making wealth that lasts, and anyone who treads on that path loses their peace. The Scripture emphasises this when it asks an important question: “What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?” Ill wealth can be deceitful because of the access it gives to enjoy the pleasures of the world, but it does not have a sustaining power here on earth and even in heaven.
The devil also tempted Jesus with the deceit of ill wealth, but Jesus overcame the temptation by the Word of God. God has the power to make us wealthy and gives us the grace to enjoy it.
Charge: Wealth that does not come from integrity and hard work will inevitably lead to loss and disappointment.
Further Study: Proverbs 10:2, 13:11, 20:17, 28:20; Ecclesiastes 5:1-20; Habakkuk 2:9; 1 Timothy 6:9-10; James 5:1-3.
